The doctor hummed and tapped his finger on the rail. “I don’t live in a world of certainties, but he survived a cracked skull and a stroke, and seems responsive when he speaks, so these are all positives. Most people wouldn’t wake up, and had he not turned to avoid the puck at the last second and it hit his temple, I don’t think we would be having this conversation.”
“So, he could, but we’re hoping he won’t,” said Quinn.
The doctor nodded grimly. “We are using blood thinners to stop another clot from forming to prevent more strokes, and he’ll be getting a CT in an hour, so I’ll be able to say more once I have the scans. He’s not out of the danger zone yet, but he’s awake, and we’re going to do our best to help him progress in a positive direction.”
Quinn was satisfied with that. As long as Eren was alive and happy, he would be content with any outcome.
“I know you’re anxious to let the children see their father,” Dr. Murdock continued, his voice turning strained. “But I think it would be wiseto wait just a little longer until he’s more aware and can cope with whatever response he’ll have.”
Eren was sleeping again, swollen cheek braced against Quinn’s finger.
“I also don’t want to scare them because sometimes people who suffer from strokes will say confusing things that don’t make sense. They get their words mixed up, or even speak in the wrong language, and that can be upsetting even for adults.”
Esme had done that, too. It wasn’t from a stroke; she had just been delirious in the end, and the girls remembered it.
“But if you want to bring them down, and we’ll set Mr. Callahan up in a room with a window so they can see him from the outside, we can do that. The blood vessels in his left eye are still ruptured, so we can keep the less bruised side of his face to the window so it’s less frightening for them.”
Quinn realized that he hadn’t verbally responded to any of the doctor’s suggestions, so he cleared his throat and said, “Yes, that would be perfect. I’ll give them five minutes so they can see that he’s okay, and maybe that will hold them off for a while.”
His tone was robotic, but he couldn’t put energy into speaking. Everything he had needed to be saved for Eren and the twins—and for August, who he suddenly needed to see more than anyone in the world.
Quinn didn’t remember excusing himself from the room and bypassing the medical staff. He didn’t remember the tedious walk and elevator ride back to the family floor. He didn’t remember letting himself into the room and taking August’s hand that was still secured with laces, and dragging him into the bathroom so they could have a second alone together.
His surroundings didn’t come back into focus until he jumped onto the counter and pulled August into his arms, wrapping around him in a way that was slowly becoming a habit between them.
Colours, sounds and scents bombarded his senses, and all Quinn could see, touch, and smell wasAugust. His worried blue eyes. His warm, solid body. His masculine deodorant. The way his deep voice spoke his name softly, as if he were comforting him.
“Quinn.”
Sitting on the counter did nothing to close the height difference between them, but August had the most adorable fix by going boneless in his arms and folding himself around Quinn’s body.
“Talk to me.”
Quinn’s hand gripped the back of August’s neck, applying pressure until he got the hint and lifted his head to meet Quinn’s eyes.
“He’s awake,” Quinn whispered, too fearful to speak the words any louder and risk shattering the dream he hadn’t been able to hope for.
August’s brows pinched together, and his eyes began searching Quinn’s face for a deeper answer.
Always so impatient.
Quinn knew they had less than two minutes before Alara and Emira started knocking on the door, so to avoid wasting time, he drew August in for a kiss to get it out of his system.
“Eren’s awake,” Quinn said between kisses, laughing breathily against August’s mouth. “He’s not dead, August.”
And now August was smiling, and Quinn didn’t have a chance to stop him before he was lifted off the counter and spun around in August’s arms. They were laughing, and Quinn was crying again because he was worried for Eren and his uncertain future, but he let himself have this win, soaking up the victory alongside the man he loved.
Esme would have to wait a little longer to see her soulmate, but knowing his sister, she wouldn’t mind. Quinn imagined she was cheering them on from the sidelines like she always did while she watched Eren—looking beautiful and happy—and swimming in the extra material of her husband’s too-big jersey.
A knock at the bathroom door broke the illusion, and Quinn was left facing reality when he heard Alara’s voice speaking nervously through the barrier.
“Uncle Quinn? What are you doing?”
“Nothing!” Quinn called back, motioning for August to put him down. “I was just checking Snowy’s bandages.”
August stuck his bottom lip out at the nickname. “Not you, too.”
Quinn smirked and curled his finger under the laces. “Who do you think encouraged them to call you that?”
